World-class training facilities for deaf curlers will soon be open in Morris.
The Canadian Deaf Sports Association (CDSA) announced Monday that Morris Curling Club will be the home of the first national deaf curling training centre.
The project, beginning in spring 2019, is aimed at providing facilities for Canadian deaf and hard of hearing athletes an opportunity to train for international competitions, including the Deaflympics and World Championships.
“This ground-breaking partnership will allow deaf and hard of hearing curlers of all ages from the beginner to the elite to fine-tune their skills to learn a lifetime sport,” said Lorne Hamblin, a level 4 Olympic curling coach.
The program also includes components geared toward deaf and hard of hearing coaches, as well as training hearing coaches in ASL and other courses.
“This unprecedented partnership agreement may be the very first one for the CDSA, but certainly not the last,” said Mark Kusiak, CDSA president.
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“We’ve been involved in you know recreational bonspiels but its challenging to compete at such an elite level and this provides us with the opportunity and the skill to get there” said Ross Lavalee, a deaf curler.
Morris is already home to the year-round Cargill Curling Training Centre, which features high-end equipment including the world’s first rock-throwing machine.
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